Groundhog Bulking Up for a Long Winter's Nap

Here in Pennsylvania, we have high regard for the forecasting abilities of our groundhogs! This fellow doesn't get the fanfare of our official groundhog, Punxatawney Phil. He lives just down the road in Indiana, PA and seems to know just what to do to get ready for winter, without the coaching of human handlers. My brother snapped a photo of this guy while he was chowing down, then I used it as a reference for this painting. First I engraved on scratchboard, then applied color with lightfast inks, then engrave more detail, then ink again, until I've built up the depth I want in the fur and vegetation. Finished in 2009, "Bulking up for Winter" is part of my "Backyard Wildlife Series."